14 October 2017

Beck - Colors

So, this album is slightly late…...When
Beck released Morning Phase (our review cleverly linked here), it was supposed
to be accompanied by a second album.But
things have not gone to plan, his documented health issues, the various tours that needed to
be completed, all distractions than can cause plans to be changed. Due to all the sprawling chaos, the recording sessions with Greg Kurstin’s has been delayed and postponed
at times, leading to a fractured production process.Work on Colors started in 2013, so you would expect that it has been released
without any flaws.The first single from
Colors “Dreams” was released in 2015,
with three other singles coming over the next two years.Now, as with all Beck albums, he has changed
his style once again – this time he has gone art-pop according to some reviews
I have read beforehand, but am I gonna agree with those sentiments?Personally, I am still awaiting the louder
album that was due to follow Morning
Phase, but I can only dream at this juncture.Now, without much further ado, it is time to
see what Beck has been up to……

01 – Colors

Starting with the title track, “Colors” begins this album with a Euro-centric,
modern electronica disco piece that is full of breakbeats, panpipe keyboards,
atmospheric moments to collect your breath and a production job that is second
to none.But it's a little hollow, as
if there is a desperate grab towards past events occurring, and a desire for youthful
experiences growning in an unhealthy fashion.So, an interesting
opening, but not one that sits well with me.

02 – Seventh Heaven

After the raindrop keyboard introduction, Beck goes Bruno Mars/Michael Jackson
on “Seventh Heaven”. It's a shiny
pop song, nothing more and nothing less to be honest.For full disclosure, I find the production to
be as brilliant as ever and the hook in the chorus is great to be honest.But once again, that uneasy feeling is hard
to shift on this song for me.I cannot
get rid of that vision of a Ferrari badge that needs to be added to the album cover, and “Seventh
Heaven” does nothing to change this.

03 – I’m So Free

“I’m So Free” suffers from a case of
mis-heard lyrics for me, when I first heard the chorus, I though Beck was
saying “I’m So Fake…”. Even after
reading the lyrics over and over again, I cannot shake that mistake from my
head, so I owe Beck an apology there.Musically, it is a larger than life song which aims to be a crowd
pleaser, with a chorus that will have people jumping up and down in unison. Those
old-school indie rocker sensibilities start to creep through the pop veneer of
the album, but it does nothing to change my view of the record.

04 – Dear Life

Starting with a piano introduction, “Dear Life” is a slower moment on this
record, one which laments the world and is brimming with regret.It's a straight forward pop number, one that
could have easily been created by any charting acts over the last 20
years.Once more, the production is on
point, but I am still not loving "Dear Life" sadly.

05 – No Distraction

I think that “No Distraction” has
truly took inspiration from the Bruno Mars song “Locked Out of Heaven”, with a positive uplift to the music.Lyrically though, “No Distraction” is dealing with lost times, failed moments and indecisiveness.With that sounds of desperation, this well
produced song does not hold my attention as well as other songs on the
record.It is played well once again,
but it's not his finest song in Beck’s long career.

06 – Dreams (Colors Mix)

A remix of the first single from this album is next, with “Dreams” hitting the
dancefloor with a huge amount of swagger!With a larger than life sound, “Dreams” hits all the right buttons to be
an indie disco classic, you cannot deny that Beck has made a powerful pop
number with “Dreams”, but it feels hollow where there should be a warmth to the
sound.Beautiful, but ultimately, empty.For information purposes only, the deluxe version
of this album has the original version of “Dreams” added at the end of the
record.

07 – Wow

“Wow” is the only song of the whole album I can honestly say I don’t at least
admire, which is not the case with the rest of the record.It feels like a bad version of “Loser”,
updated for the modern age and with no real conviction behind it.I will move on swiftly, I don’t to waste my
effort on this one.

08 – Up All Night

“Up All Night” is a song about sex, sexy, sexy, sex with the usual stellar
production job to the music, but the words are not delivered with conviction for my
money.It's the ongoing theme of the
album where you find cold where there should be warmth, amazing music which
lacks a defined soul at its core.It is
played well, but there is not emotional attachment.

09 – Square One

“Square One” is the penultimate song of this album, a song which transcendence the
overall empty feeling of the album.It
reminds me a lot of Ben Folds at his most outlandish, there is a humour to the
song that has sorely been missing from this record.Everything comes together, production, music,
performance and the result is head and shoulders above everything else on the
album.Beck has always been able to do
pop, this is proof positive of that.

10 – Fix Me

“Fix Me” is all about the desire to be washed away, to be lost and needing to
start all over again."Fix Me" is a slow and
moody song, the pop energy of the rest of Colors
is nowhere to be seen on this one.Beck has added
a good ending to this record, but it's still not a song I would reach for if I
wanted to listen to some Beck.

My gut feeling for this album is not good, but this must be explained.I cannot shake the feeling that this album
needs a Ferrari badge on the cover, as if the midlife crisis is in full effect.It's either that or something has in Beck’s
life to infuse this youthful desire, this energy into his current album, because it is a hollow record.I love the production on this record, it sounds larger than life and it has a cutting-edge feel.But hear me out here on this one, as I do
have a few issues with the overall result.Firstly, my end impression of Colors is that Beck has guested on his own album, one created with the assistance
of Daft Punk, Bruno Mars and Justice with its Euro-Continental Disco vibe that
incorporates a Taylor Swift on acid lyrical vibe.It feels as if he is keeping up with the
current sound of the world, even though it was started years ago (does that
make him visionary?) and it doesn't sound natural when I am listening to it.Secondly, even by Beck’s standards, the
lyrics are not as strong as he has works he has produced before.Some of the words are tortured into rhyming,
when these usually feel like water flowing, as if they are written such
easily it would defy the Gods.Whilst I am moaning about those
aspects of the album, I cannot claim that Colors is a badly performed album.I don’t think Beck is capable of such a
thing, not without starting Armageddon. Musically,
as I have mentioned throughout the review, the production job on Colors is
great, I applaud him for following his own path on this pop record.But I cannot say this is the best thing Beck
has done, it's just not up, it doesn't come close to his own high standards and that will become
more apparent through the years. Colors is a fun
ride for sure, but that feeling of midlife crisis is haunting this record.That said, at least he has kept it
interesting and no-one would have seen this coming, so business as usual with
Beck…. maybe.

6 out of ten – Now, I see where you are going, but it is not quite there.

Welcome to the final round-up review of 2017! Similar to the Round-Up posts I put up earlier in the year, I’m going to be posting some bull...

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Album scoring system

0 - This is proof there is no deity1 - You're really are touching the bottom of the barrel with this one2 - If only there was some quality control3 - It could have been a bit better4 - Well it's alright, but still......5 -Not for everyone but played well6 - Now I see where you were going, but it's not quite there7 - This is good and well worth a check8 - Oh, now you have my attention and maybe my money, time and heart9 - Almost perfect....Almost10 - This is proof there is a deity(For albums that are too crazy to be marked)Crazy Cat symbol - This album cannot be marked, so here is a box of kittens

Singles/EP Marking System

0 - Only to be listened to by people bless with the gift of being deaf1 - Not so much on the bad that it is bottom of the barrel, but it can see the stuff down there2 - Not bad, not good - so average it is Zen3 - Decent, getting there4 - This is really good, well worth checking out5 - I wish I had extra ears to love this more(For Singles/EPs that are too crazy to mark)Crazy Cat symbol - This release cannot be marked, so here is a box of kittens